Des Moines City advisory board to lead fall public engagement on new strategic plan; volunteers sought

Des Moines City Citizens Advisory Board members on Sept. 24 heard an overview of the city’s new strategic-plan process and were asked to help with fall public engagement, City Manager Catherine Caffrey said.

"The strategic plan is really it's a long term vision that really outlines what the city's priorities are," Catherine Caffrey, city manager, told the board. She said staff will run a public-engagement program this fall and early winter — focused on a survey, multiple focus groups, passive engagement (pop-up tables at community events), and at least one town hall — to collect community priorities before a new city council finalizes the plan in spring 2026.

The plan’s purpose and timing

Caffrey described the strategic plan as an "appropriately aspirational" policy guide that helps the council and staff set priorities and inform budgeting for the next three to five years. She said the city has contracted a national consulting firm for the project and that the consultant has asked staff for existing documents and prior engagement materials to consolidate earlier work.

Caffrey said the engagement timeline calls for community input this fall and early winter, surveys of staff and the public, and a process that will allow the newly seated council in early 2026 to finalize priorities in spring 2026. She said an implementation plan, prepared by staff after council priorities are set, will convert priorities into measurable tasks tied to future budgeting cycles.

What the city will ask from CAB

Caffrey asked the Citizens Advisory Board (CAB) to support outreach and act as community champions for the engagement campaign. She asked for one or two CAB members to serve as lead liaisons to help plan outreach, coordinate volunteers for pop-up events and the town hall, and consolidate input the board collects. Colleen Gantz and Arlene volunteered to serve as lead liaisons during the meeting; Pauline, who said she works in community engagement for a private firm called PRR, also offered assistance.

On resources, Caffrey said "there is a budget for this project" covering the consultant contract, signage, materials and online survey subscription, but she said there is not a budget for large incentives such as gift cards. When asked whether funds could be used for small items such as complimentary coffee at outreach tables, Caffrey said the city could likely make modest provisions "within reason." She did not give a dollar amount for the project budget.

Relation to other planning documents

Board members asked how the strategic plan differs from the city’s comprehensive plan. Caffrey and Harry Steinmetz, deputy mayor and meeting chair facilitator, said the comprehensive plan is land-use focused (zoning and physical form) and that the strategic plan will address broader service and budget priorities that the comp plan typically does not, such as public safety and long-range fiscal stability.

Implementation and accountability

Caffrey emphasized that the implementation plan — prepared by staff after council direction — will lay out specific steps, timelines and metrics for each priority. She said the city manager and staff will report progress publicly to the council and that the consultant’s role is to consolidate input and facilitate the council process rather than execute day-to-day implementation.

Subcommittees, reporting and existing volunteer work

The meeting included reports from standing subcommittees. CAB leadership clarified that subcommittees are advisory and generally do not have spending authority. Human services, arts and senior-services subcommittees described outreach and programming plans that the board can fold into the fall engagement effort. Arts commissioners reported upcoming events, a proposal for a teen digital film festival, and plans to inventory and repair public sculptures; senior-services members described planned outreach to three senior communities and coordination with the strategic-plan engagement.

Actions taken

The board approved the minutes from its July 30 meeting by voice vote; the motion and second were recorded but individual movers were not named in the transcript. Members later made and seconded a motion to adjourn, which carried.

What happens next

Caffrey said CAB members should expect follow-up in October with details about outreach roles, and she said the consultant will meet with staff and key volunteers to finalize engagement plans. The board scheduled its next CAB meeting for Oct. 29.

Ending

Board members and staff concluded the meeting with several community-calendar announcements and subcommittee updates; the session adjourned after a brief voice vote.